Chris Farah said she was working at the Los Angeles restaurant Real Food Daily in 2014 when she waited on Ellen DeGeneres.
Amid several claims of a toxic work environment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, a waitress has come forward saying she was nearly suspended after she waited on DeGeneres and the star allegedly complained about her chipped nails.
Chris Farah said she was working at the Los Angeles restaurant Real Food Daily in 2014 when she waited on DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi. While Farah said the meal went great, DeGeneres allegedly emailed the restaurant a week later to complain about Farah’s nails. Farah said her boss tried to suspend her for two weeks without pay but she decided to quit.
When asked what she would say to DeGeneres, Farah said: “I would say what is happening to your life. ... Why do you have the time to mess with someone who is just serving you.”
“Do you look at Ellen differently now?” Inside Edition's Jim Moret asked Farah.
“Oh absolutely. I mean before this I was a big fan," Farah said.
Farah added, “I felt mostly just sad that Ellen is so rich and powerful and a female comedienne would take her time to hurt someone who she would probably guess was somewhat of a starving artist."
Farah said she was astounded a fellow female comedian would allegedly try to do that.
Inside Edition's requests for comment from DeGeneres were not returned. Real Food Daily said their management has changed since the incident, and they can't comment.
Farah is just one of a few people who have come out to criticize DeGeneres recently. Hedda Muskat, a former producer on the Ellen Show, has claimed there was a "culture of fear” while she worked on the show from 2003 to 2004. Muskat recently told The Wrap that executive producer Ed Galvin screamed at a crew member in front of everyone and DeGeneres “giggled” about it.
A former on-air DJ for the show, Tony Okungbowa, who worked on the show for 11 years, also spoke out about what it was like to work closely with DeGeneres.
"While I am grateful for the opportunity it afforded me, I did experience and feel the toxicity of the environment” Okungbowa wrote on Instagram. "I stand with my former colleagues in their quest to create a healthier and more inclusive workplace as the show moves forward.”
As to the claims about The Ellen show, DeGeneres has said, "My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that," she wrote. "Alongside Warner Bros, we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues."
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